Some conspiracy theories can be fun grist for the mill, but others can be outright offensive and hurtful. No, this isn't an entry about the flu shot, a topic of much debate on these pages, this is an entry about Sandy Hook Elementary School and 9/11.
Refusing to believe in influensa vaccinations is unfortunate as it compromises herd immunity, but believing the Newtown, Connecticut shooting was an inside job designed to move political opinion on gun control is downright nasty. Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six adults that day. Suggesting they died as part of a government conspiracy really upsets me.
Imagine those who lost a loved one that day reading about this conspiracy theory. Imagine how Gene Rosen feels. He helped six Sandy Hook students who were "sitting in a neat semicircle" at the end of his driveway that day, and today he receives emails like this:
How are all those little students doing? You know, the ones that showed up at your house after the ‘shooting’. What is the going rate for getting involved in a gov’t sponsored hoax anyway?
And don't get me started on 9/11 conspiracy theories. If you've bought into even a minute of the slop Loose Change and other 9/11 conspiracy sources peddle, take a few minutes to read this.
Have fun with your theories that man never landed on the moon or Paul McCartney was replaced by a look-alike, but when innocent people die, let the facts speak for themselves.
